In L.A., $750 a Month to Live in a Backyard Storage Unit NYT | Top Stories By: Livia Albeck-Ripka 10 December 2025 at 02:55 A landlord crowded tenants into his house and yard without running water or power. One, determined to find an alternative, was up against the city’s housing crisis. © Alex Welsh for The New York Times“I’m just kind of done living like this,” Junior Estrada said.